Parts & Labor 2017: An inside look at snowboarding’s new trade show

Back in July, we released a story regarding the formation of a new snowboarding trade show, Parts & Labor. In the months that have passed, western North America has seen one of its best winters in a decade, providing a much needed morale injection into the industry. In this midst of this outstanding season, an eclectic group of snowboard brands descended on Denver for Parts & Labor.

Parts & Labor is the creation of Steven Kimura of Owner Operator and United Shapes, and Joe Suta of Nightmare Snowboards. With the help of a small group of organizers, they brought over 50 snowboard brands together under one roof to do business and discuss snowboarding’s future. Some of these brands you have probably heard of: Lib Tech, Gnu, YES., Flux, Bataleon, or Rome. But the majority are small, independently-owned brands that are either just beginning, or have established themselves as a producer of specialty snowboard product. MOSS Snowsticks, Grassroots Powsurfing, Soulmotion Snowboards, Common Apparel, Public Snowboards, Franco Snowshapes, the list goes on. All were part of the new Parts & Labor marketplace, and all are true snowboard brands.

With some exceptions, what we saw was a selection of key products from each brand. There was not the extravagant booths that you would find at snow’s largest trade show, SIA—you can check out that gallery here—but rather a no frills arrangement that established an inclusive atmosphere. No walls. No back rooms. It was a format that favored the wandering observer.

The space was made possible largely with support from Denver’s burgeoning cannabis industry, with vendors also on site for those that wished to indulge in some of Colorado’s finest. So if you were into that, Parts & Labor was definitely a place you wanted to be.

While certainly not the behemoth that is SIA, Parts & Labor was welcomed and supported by brands across the spectrum of snowboarding. Boards, bindings, outerwear, goggles, streetwear, all were represented in one way or another across the showroom floor. Now with one year under the belt, we’re excited to see how the show evolves and continues to address the needs of a changing snowboard industry. Until next year…

Just a taste of what Bataleon and Switchback have in store for 2018. Switchback has continued with their trademark tool-less bindings, but this year they have gone a step further making them fully adjustable, one-size-fits-all. Bataleon’s new swallow-tail The Surfer takes the 3-D base to a whole new level. Rob Kingwill was in attendance with good vibes and toasty facemasks. Mervin Industries continues to pump out new products, all while maintaining their eco-friendly production in the US. Joe Sexton and Public Snowboards were in attendance with some exciting new boards for 2018. Big or small, MOSS Snowsticks has you covered. MOSS Snowsticks is looking to change the game when it comes to surf-inspired snowboarding. We’re talking about some seriously wild shapes for the 2018 MOSS Snowstick lineup. Turn fast and low. The Interior Plain Project’s new line, Sin Eater. Joe Mertes shows off the 2018 Honalee here. The 2018 IPP Harrow. IPP has added a third board to the line for 2018, shown here is the Odessa. Risto Petkov and Stinky Socks in the house. From one board to six, the United Shapes quiver is growing quickly. Gray Thompson with the new United Shapes split. Brad Farmer and Ray Takahashi from Flux showing off new boots for 2018. Just a small peak of what Flux has in the works for their 25th anniversary. New Flux gloves. Nicholas Wolken and Stephan Maurer from KORUA Shapes with their new line up of boards. The snowboard surf vibe was well represented, just a hint of Soul Motion’s new board shapes. Aaron Lebowitz with a photo of the surfboard that helped inspire Soul Motion’s new shapes. PowderJet snow surfers. Jeremy Jensen with his brand new split snow surfer